Tagged: zara

ONE WEEK TO GO, I REPEAT, THERE IS JUST ONE WEEK TO GO. I’m obviously still spending my time listing things I want, rather than buying things for people that are actually expecting presents. If I can’t get all my Christmas shopping done in an hour this Saturday, then it’s not happening. Sorry guys, IOU’s are still a thing, right?

I’ve always got time for a backpack. I got into ~handbags~ fairly late at 18, prior to this I had a very organised “If I can’t carry it, it stays home”/”stuff everything in my boyfriend’s pockets” approach to life. Since I’ve been cycling I’ve come to re-appreciate the need for some hands-free bag action, and this spicy leather bad-boy is large enough to use for a weekend without looking like a body-bag.

As a very ~artistic~ child, I’m still very much into ~the arts~, even if the extent of my creativity lately has been making covers for my mother’s mixtapes (which did go down a storm, just saying). Anyway, I get a real kick out of other people’s sketchbooks/notebooks etc so this is pretty much perfect.

Tartan has got my office in a choke-hold. At least six people on my floor have the somewhat ubiquitous Zara grey check scarf, and I don’t think there’s been a day over the past few weeks where I’ve been in a meeting without at least one Rupert the Bear doppleganger. That said, ever the shorts fan, I’m really into these. Tonally they’re not overly aggressive and as they’re shorts (ie, there’s not a lot to them) they’re not going to dominate the outfit as a whole.

I’d like a real pony, or a Givenchy ponyskin Pandora, but failing both of these, this clutch isn’t a bad third choice. I’m finally at that stage of life (23) where I feel like I can actually be responsible enough to own a bag without straps. And at £35 I’m not going to cry TOO hard if this trust in myself is misplaced and I lose another possession to the great God of nightbus.

I hate wallets. I hate carrying cash. I hate never being able to find anything in my bag more, though. Commes wallets come in roughly 677 varieties, but this one is my favourite. I love the unisex shape, the understated detailing of the stitching and it’s obviously in my favourite colour.

Another day closer to Christmas, another day I’m shocked at the injustice that I don’t wake up to a pile of presents EVERY day. Here’s part two of 25 things that I will accept as gifts. There’s still time, people!

One of my absolute favourite Swedish exports (after ABBA and one of my best friends), since its founding in 1996, Acne has become a go-to for their jackets. The classic, shearling collar and pale pink biker jackets have all been a permanent fixture in my ‘how much money could I get if I sold my kidney?’ daydreams for the past few years. I love this oversized flight jacket, I generally always go for jackets at least one size up, I generally always wear bodycon skirts or skinny jeans so larger proportions on top balance this out. Also this looks warm enough that waiting for a night bus on New Years Eve won’t make me want to open a vein in the bath. Good times!

I love a shirt dress. This collarless printed bad-boy ticks all the boxes. Oversized enough that you can layer underneath for winter, or avoid drowning in your own sweat in the summer, formal enough for work but comfortable enough for a hangover. The only thing I’m not mad about is the asymmetric drape hem, which I am already having premonitions of having to constantly fish out of the toilet/tube doors, but if you’re not an idiot like me, this Ann Demeulemeester-esque piece is defs a winner.

I’m generally very fussy when it comes to shoes. First rule, always boots. Any heel that isn’t wider than one inch causes ‘creative differences’ between me and gravity. Second rule, always black. No exceptions. I love the chunky heel on these, statement/metal heels have become a catwalk fixture for the past few seasons with the highstreet going particularly mad over them (I had a great pair pair from Zara with a silver chunky heel…obvz someone homeless is wearing them now after I left them on the nightbus…). I’ve mentioned before that I’m not the tallest tree in the forest, but the heel on these is just the right height for a confidence boost without making me feel like I’m in bad drag.

Zara is somewhat renowned for its ‘interpretations’ of designer wear. The menswear in particular has taken a fair few Givenchy-print bullest to the face over the past few seasons, and the structured boxy shape of this bag is definitely reminiscent of Givenchy/Alexander Wang. Which isn’t a bad thing at all, especially when you don’t have £800+ spare change knocking around in your back pockets.

When Swedish high street favourite H&M announced the launch of a new “luxe” label, my first thoughts were, why? After H&M getting criticism for perhaps not as stellar as expected designer collaborations (I genuinely saw a H&M Margiela jacket down from £150 to £5 in the Regent Street store), is now the right time to launch a new brand, rather than focusing on improving the existing one?

Secondly, is there really a gap in the market for another high-end high street brand? COS, Reiss, Joseph, Jaeger etc, these all seem to cover all aspects of the high end high street market, from luxe basics at COS and Jaeger to Royal-fave classicism at Reiss. Particularly, COS, which is only 6 years old, is probably closest to the H&M ‘basics with a twist’ sensibility, and also stock menswear, something that & Other Stories doesn’t at present.

Represented by PR power-house Karla Otto (also home to Chalayan, Viktor and Rolf and Marni, to name but a few) & Other Stories will no doubt be a regular editorial pull and ‘How To Wear…’ magazine feature favourite.

The press release is pretty standard, “Other Stories is a fashion brand offering women a wide range of shoes, bags, accessories, beauty and ready-to-wear to create their personal style, or story. Our creative ateliers in Paris and Stockholm design diversified fashion collections with great attention to detail and quality at an affordable price. It does annoy me when brands say ‘affordable’, because obviously what is affordable to you, mister, might not be affordable to me, with your £40 for a plain jumper sensibilities. I find it slightly patronising. But having said that, Prices are actually a really good scale, basics are mostly around the £30/40 quid mark, which isn’t too bad, with the more exciting items around £100, which is quite a good mid-point, and still, that’s about the same price as Topshop, without any of the wacky sally “STUDS AND GALAXY PRINT ON EVERYTHING!1!!”

It continues, “We believe shoes, bags, jewellery, lingerie and beauty are key for styling and just as important as clothing.” Shoes etc are one thing that ususally fall to the wayside for brands, Zara for instance generally does really good on-point womenswear, yet the shoes are a.) few and far between, and b.) usually really hideous.

I had a look at the website, and I was actually quite impressed. The range is very extensive without being overwhelming (have you ever got stuck in an ASOS black hole? Pop on to look for a skirt, 80 minutes and 8,000 pages later, you go on eBay to look for a noose) with a good mix of product and model shots (can you tell I work in eCommerce?). There’s also a very pleasing Tumblr.